Manual
OpenArena Gamer's Manual Quickstart After installing the game start it with *start/programs/OpenArena/OpenArena (in windows) *typing /usr/games/openarena, or just openarena if /usr/games is in your $PATH, at a a shell (in linux) or click on the icon in Games(Debian) *double-clicking it's icon (Mac OS X) Multiplayer See also: Manual/Multiplayer Click at "Multiplayer". On the "Arena Servers" menu change "Server: Local" to "Server: Internet" . A list of open games should appear. Turn "Show Full" and "Show Empty" off. Click on one of the games, press "Fight!" and you are ready to play! Singleplayer If you don't want to play the game online click on "Single Player", then choose if to start one of the tier's match against predefined bots (Single Player Deathmath) or starting a new game clicking on the "skirmish" button. What is OpenArena? OpenArena is an open-source content package for Quake III Arena licensed under the GPL, effectively creating a free stand-alone game. You do not need Quake III Arena to play this game. Installing OpenArena See also: Manual/Install Windows: download the windows installer from one of the mirrors, then double-click on the .exe file and follow the on-screen instructions. Linux: read the FAQ and Installation. Debian provides the deb files. Mac OS X: download the Linux tarball from one of the mirrors, double-click it to extract the "oaxxx" folder, download the on-site Mac OS X engine, double-click it to extract the disk image, mount the disk image double-clicking it and drop the "ioquake3" application in the Linux's folder. if you want you can also trash every thing that is in the folder except the "baseoa" folder. Basic information User Interface * /Game menus * /Player settings (Name, handicap, effects, model) * /Head-up display Gameplay * /Gamemodes * /Medals * /Items * /Weapons * /Map elements Starting to play * /Controls * /Characters * /Community * /Multiplayer * /Spectate Starting a Game Server Execute the OpenArena dedicated server binary, called openarena_ded in Fedora. If you have a "headless" system which you SSH to, you might want to use a command like: nohup openarena_ded options > openarena.log & The nohup command will fork the rest of the command off and it will persist after you logout. The output will be dumped to "openarena.log" wherever you execute the command. Note you can also use the '<' to issue commands from a file. The ampersand will put it to the background. Some server scripts to use with 'exec' command would be useful here. To start a gameserver on a mac type: :cd /Applications/OpenArena.app/Contents/MacOS/ :nohup ./ioquake3.ub +set dedicated 2 +exec server.cfg +map aggressor More info on the Servers#Server_Setup page. OpenArena at LAN-Party For an easy setup one player (preferably the one with the fastest computer) should run the server: *Multiplayer *"Create" *choose a game type and a map *open slots for other players *start the game by pressing the "fight"-button Now the other players should start "Multiplayer" and find the new server under "local". Making the game less violent Type this in the console (pull it down with Shift+Esc or ` ): /com_blood 0 /cg_gibs 0 Advanced information *FAQ#Configuration files and automatic downloaded files path */Console Commands */Techniques */Demos */Using Mods */Graphic options */Voice chat */Text colors Hints * Go to Setup --> Game Options and enable "Unlag hitscan". This way, the game will compensate your "lag" for hitscan weapons (those, like machinegun and railugn, that immediately hit the target when you press the button, without "flying" in the air). For those weapons, you will not have to anticipate the enemy's movements according to your ping: if you are correctly targeting him when you shoot, you will hit him, even if in reality you are watching the position where he was 0,3 seconds ago and he's there no more. This is useful for online gaming. Enabling or disabling this option will change the value of at least'' two'' variables: cg_delag and g_delaghitscan (1=enabled). * You can go to Setup --> Game Options and enable "Automatic downloading". This way, if the server you are connecting to has its option enabled, it will send to you possible additional files that you don't have but you need to play on it. It will automatically download new maps or mods, if needed. For the place where autodownloaded data is stored, read here. * You can install OpenAL in your system to get a more realistic 3D audio environment. It is needed if you want to use the built-in ''Voice chat feature.'' * You can go to Setup --> System --> Graphics and adjust these options according to your system's "power". If "flares" and "bloom" distract you from the game (especially flares), you can disable them. You can change Brightness from Setup --> System --> Display. You can check your frame-rate enabling \cg_drawFPS 1 from command console. See also here and here. * Disabling "Autoswitch weapons" option from Setup --> Controls --> Shoot menu might be a good idea. Console command is \cg_autoswitch <0 or 1>. Default value is 1, but often players like 0. With autoswitch enabled, each time you pick up a weapon (even if you already have it), it will select it. Since there is a time needed to change weapon, doing it in the wrong moment (during a gunfight) may be a problem for you: usually it is better to switch weapons when you really want to do it. See also * FAQ and Troubleshooting External Resources *Optimizing OpenArena: Play Like a Pro (thedimi.net)